The present invention relates to material transport systems and more particularly to an arrangement of load cells for monitoring the quantity of material contained within reservoirs associated with such systems.
The reservoir under consideration is generally used in conjunction with transport systems which are required to provide a continuous delivery of material. Accordingly, a predetermined quantity of material must be maintained in the reservoir to act as an interim source in the event of a temporary stoppage in the regular source of supply. Load cells monitor the weight of the reservoir to insure a continued presence of the desired quantity of material. The load cells are generally located between the reservoir and its support structure so that they may accurately monitor the reservoir load while also conveying it to the support structure. A problem arises, however, in the case of a defective load cell wherein clearance must be provided to allow for the removal of the defective cell from under the load of the reservoir and such clearance necessitates the displacement of the reservoir with a concomitant disruption of the load monitoring operation.